The Houston Astros defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2 on Wednesday night at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The win clinched a series victory for Houston, winning two out of three.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a lengthy rain delay of more than three hours, this game finally got underway. The Pirates (23-40) went with Mitch Keller on the mound. He allowed a leadoff double to Jeremy Pena in the first, but worked around it to post a zero.
The Astros (34-28) countered with lefty Framber Valdez. Valdez cruised through the bottom half of the first, retiring the Pirates in order.
After a quiet couple of innings to start, Pittsburgh would strike first in the third inning. Jared Triolo led off with a double and later scored on a groundout to make it 1-0 Pirates.
Houston would answer in the next half inning. First, Isaac Paredes tied the game with his team-leading 13th home run. Then, Cam Smith gave the Astros their first lead of the night with an RBI single. Finally, Jacob Melton capped the inning with a two-run single, giving the Astros a 4-1 lead.
The Pirates would get one back in the fifth. O’Neil Cruz delivered an RBI single to make it 4-2, but Framber prevented any further damage.
The Astros extended the lead back out a couple more times. In the seventh, Pena brought home a run with an RBI double while Jose Altuve added one on a sacrifice fly. Then, one inning later, Paredes added his second homer, a two-run shot to make it 8-2.
Valdez navigated seven innings, allowing just two runs. The Astros bullpen brought things home, securing the series victory.
BIG NUMBER: 1.5
With the Mariners losing and Astros winning, Houston now has a 1.5 game lead in the AL West.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Isaac Paredes
Paredes continues to pace the Astros home run count. He added two more tonight, now reaching 14 for the season.
UP NEXT: The Astros will begin a three-game set with the Guardians in Cleveland tomorrow night. First pitch is set for 6:10 and you can listen to the game on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.